Critical Difference Fund

Mary Jo Sekelsky Critical Difference Fund

A Task Force on Sexual Orientation was appointed by Chancellor Clinton B. Jones in early 1992. The group was charged with implementing recommendations found in, “From Invisibility to Inclusion: Opening the Doors for Lesbians and Gay Men at the University of Michigan” (1991). Among the report’s recommendations for the Flint campus was, “. . . designating one person with responsibility for overseeing further efforts on behalf of lesbian and gay students, faculty, and staff at UM-Flint.”

The Chancellor’s Task Force recommended in March 1993 the establishment of a half-time position to address lesbian and gay concerns. Members of the Task Force approached Interim Dean for Student Services Dr. Mary Jo Sekelsky in Spring 1994, and she authorized funding for the appointment of Flint’s first LGBTQA+ Advocate, Ellen Bommarito.

Dr. Sekelsky continued to advocate for the needs of students served by the Ellen Bommarito LGBTQA+ Center in her subsequent capacity as Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs. She established the Mary Jo Sekelsky Critical Difference Fund to provide emergency grants to students facing financial crises.

The Mary Jo Sekelsky Critical Difference Fund is intended to help students overcome emergency situations so they may remain in school and stay on track for graduation. Examples of emergency needs that may qualify for assistance include paying for automobile repair or securing reliable transportation to school, providing food for family, preventing imminent shut-off of a vital utility service, or covering childcare expenses.